Multithreaded multi-core processors are widely used as network processors. Typical packet processing activities are well suited for this style of processor given the available process-level parallelism that exists in packetized communication systems. For this reasons, the performance of a multithreaded multi-core processor on packet processing tasks is dependent upon the number of cores in the multi-core processor and the number threads on each processor.
Since the number of cores affects performance but also increases the area and cost of the processor, it is desirable to make the individual cores as small as possible without degrading their performance. Furthermore, reducing the size of the core may also reduce the cost of the processors.
To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. It is contemplated that elements disclosed in one embodiment may be beneficially utilized on other embodiments without specific recitation.